3 days in Tangier

Day by day

1. Day 1: Tangier medina and Petit Socco

   Tangier medina, Petit Socco and Grand Socco, then Terrasse des Paresseux in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Tangier medina

      Whitewashed lanes climb from the port to the kasbah through a compact, hilly old town of small mosques, craft shops, bakeries and doorways painted blue and green.

   2. Late morning

      Petit Socco

      Take a mint tea on a café terrace and watch medina life pass through the square.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Bissara

      Small cafés in the medina in the morning, and at Café Hafa.

   4. Afternoon

      Grand Socco

      Officially Place du 9 Avril 1947, the large square at the medina's western gate is the meeting point of the old and new cities.

   5. Evening

      Terrasse des Paresseux

      Stop here during an evening stroll along Boulevard Pasteur, then take a drink at the Café de Paris.

2. Day 2: Caves of Hercules and Cap Spartel

   Caves of Hercules, Cap Spartel and Perdicaris Park, then Corniche and Tanja Marina Bay in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Caves of Hercules

      Visit in the late afternoon and stay for sunset over the Atlantic at Achakar beach next door.

   2. Late morning

      Cap Spartel

      The north-western tip of Africa, marked by a lighthouse built in the 1860s, overlooks the meeting of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Kalinte

      Street carts and bakeries in the medina and around the Grand Socco, served hot.

   4. Afternoon

      Perdicaris Park

      Visit on the way to Cap Spartel for a short forest walk with views over the Strait.

   5. Evening

      Corniche and Tanja Marina Bay

      Walk the Corniche in the early evening, when Tangier's families come out and the sea breeze cools the city.

3. Day 3: Kasbah Museum (Dar el Makhzen) and Mendoubia Gardens

   Kasbah Museum (Dar el Makhzen), Mendoubia Gardens and Tangier American Legation Museum, then Ville Nouvelle in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Kasbah Museum (Dar el Makhzen)

      The 17th-century sultan's palace at the top of the medina now houses a museum of the region's history, from Roman mosaics and Phoenician finds to Moroccan ceramics, arranged around tiled courtyards and an Andalusian garden.

   2. Late morning

      Mendoubia Gardens

      Sit under the huge banyan tree on a hot afternoon; it is one of the coolest spots in the city centre.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Harira

      Cafés and simple restaurants across the city.

   4. Afternoon

      Tangier American Legation Museum

      Morocco was one of the first countries to recognise the United States, and the Sultan gave this medina building to the US in 1821, making it the first American public property abroad.

   5. Evening

      Ville Nouvelle

      Hotel bars, lounges and restaurants with drinks around Boulevard Pasteur and Place de France.

Where to stay for this itinerary

With 3 nights, Medina keeps most of this route within easy reach. For a calmer or cheaper base, Kasbah ($$$) suits couples, luxury, quiet stays and culture. Compare every area.

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 11–16 hours of visiting over 3 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 9.7 hours in December to 14.6 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

More or fewer days

• One day in Tangier
• 2 days in Tangier
• 5 days in Tangier

Questions travellers ask